Loom-shuttle.



H. A. TITUS. LOOM SHUTTLE. APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 6, 1909.

966,487. Patented Aug. 9,1910.

. 22 J' /ezz'r' W. zz'i ua f O JVam lzlgy HENRY A. 'IITUS, OFPROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

LOOM-SI-IUTTLE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY A. TI'rUs, of Providence, in the county ofProvidence and State; of Rhode Island, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Loom- Shuttles, of which the following as a specification.

This invention relates to threading devices for loom shuttles, and hasfor its object to provide threading means whereby the operator, isenabled to quickly pass the weft thread or yarn from the shuttle spindleto and through the thread delivery eye, through which the thread passesfrom one side of the shuttle, a particular object of the invention beingto prevent possibility of the displlacement of the thread relatively tothe t read eye by movements of the shuttle, and to provide a deviceadapted to withstand the shocks and jars incidental to the opera tion ofthe shuttle.

- The-invention is characterized by a shuttle eye-piece inserted in andrigidly secured to the shuttle,a1'1d having a longitudinal threaddelivering passage, and a. helical thread passage surrounding andcomnumioatiug with the longitudinal passage, means being provided forguiding the thread into the inner portion of the helical passage, andthe construction being such that the thread is adapted tobe transferredfrom the exterior of the eye-piece to the interior thereof by a rotarymovement of the end portion of the thread around the eye-piece, saidmovementcausing the thread to pass through the helical passage until-itis properly contained in the longitudinal passage of the eye-piece.

f the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure1 represents a top plan view of a portion of a shuttle embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 represents a view similar to Fig. 1, the threadingplate and its supporting post, hereinafter described, being removed.Fig. 3 represents a side elevation of a portion of the shuttle. ig. 4:represents a section on line 4-4 of Flg. 1. Fig. 5 relepresents asection on line 55 of Fig. 1. ig. 6 re resents a section on line 6-6of-Fig. 1. ig. 7 represents a side view of an eye-piece constructed inaccordance with my invention, detached from the shuttle. Fig. 8represents a perspective view of *the eye-piece, the thread guiding postand the threading plate, said figure showing the direction of the threadafter the threading operation. Fig.9 represents Specification of LettersPatent. Application filed February 6, 1909. Serial N o.

(Figs. 8 and 9) the Patented na a, rain. 476,399.

a view similar to a portion of Fig. 8, showing the direction of thethread before the threading operation has been completed and Fig. 10represents a view similar to Fig. 5, showing a modification.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all thefigures.

In the drawings,--12 represents a portion of the shuttle body, 13represents a portion of the shuttle spindle on which is an accumulation1 1 of weft'thread or yarn, and 15 port-ion of the thread located in andadjacent to the eye-piece, hereinafter described.

16represents an eye-piece, the preferred construction of which is shownin Figs. 1 to 9, inclusive, said eye-piece being tubular at its outerend portion, and closed or solid at its inner end portion, the latterbeing externally screw-threaded, as shown at 17, and rigidly secured tothe shuttle body by being driven into a socket 18 its reception.

The shuttle body is provided with a chamber or cavity 19 at the innerend of the socket 18, said cavity having a cylindrical extension 20which passes through one side of the shuttle body, as indicated in Fig.5, and is in alinement with the socket 18. The outer portion of theeye-piece 16 projects across the inner end of the chamber 19, and intothe extension 20, and is of smaller diameter than said extension, sothat the outer portion of the eye-piece is entirely surrounded by anunobstructed space, as clearly shown by Figs. 3, 4:, and 5. The outerportion of the eye-piece contains a longitudinal thread passage 21, anda. helical thread passage 22 which surrounds and communicates with thelongitudinal passage 21, said helical passage being in this case formedby cutting a helical slot through the tubular wall of the eye-piece,said slot opening at the outer end of the eye-piece and extendingpractically to the attached inner end portion.

The eye-piece, surrounded by an unobstructed space and having a helicalthread passage communicating with a longitudinal thread passage, bothopening at the outer end of the. eyepiece, is an importantcharacteristic of my invention, and enables the thread 15 to be threadedthrough the eyepiece and properly engaged therewith by moving the threadaround the eye-plece, and thus causing it to first enter the inner endof the helical passage 22, and then move along said passage until it haspassed through all parts of the helical "passage and has beentransferred from the exterior to the interior of the eye-piece, asillustrated by Figs. 8 and 9, Fig. 9 showing the thread before it haspassed through the helical passage 22, while Fig. 8 shows the threadafter it has passed through said passage, and has been properly threadedthrough .the eyepiece.

Means are provided for guiding the thread from the spindle 13 to theinner end of the helical passage 22, said means in the best embodimentof my invention'at present known to me, being as follows :-23 repreiscurved, as shown in sents a post which is inserted in sockets 24 formedfor its reception in the veye-piece at the inner end of the helicalpassage 22, said post preferably projecting below the eyepiece, asindicated in Figs. 1, 5, 8, and 9, its lower end entering a socket 25 inthe shuttle body. The opposite end rtion of thepost igs. 4 and 8, andprojects into the chamber 19. 26 represents a threading plate atfixed tothe outer end of the post 23, said plate covering the greater portion ofthe chamber 19, Y being secured to the shuttle body partly by the post23, and partly by a screw 27 inserted in a seat 28 (Fig. 2) at one sideof the chamber 19.

A portion of the outer side of the shuttle body is cut away to form awall or shoulder 29 extending along one portion of the edge ,of thethreading plate 26, and .another ortion is cut away to form a wall orshou der 30'extending alon another portion of the edge of the threadingplate. The shuttle walls 29 and 30 and the adjacent edge portions of thethreading plate form thread passages 31 and 32 which communicate withthechamber 19, as shown in Fi .4 and 5. The shuttle body is provide withan inner slot 33 which communicates with the assage 31, as sh own inFig. 6, the inner end of said slot being enlarged to form a thread guide34: which is in alinement with the spindle 13,. and is ada ted toconduct the thread to the point where it engages the post 23, asindicated in. Fig. 8. The inner slot 33 is formed in the portion of theshuttle body which intervenes between the chamber 19 and thespindle-containing chamber of the shuttle.

35 represents an outer slot which extends through one side of theshuttle, and connects the passage 32 with the extension 20 of thechamber 19, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 3.

Owing to the fact that one end of the eyepiece is screw threaded, itsaccurate location for use may be readily secured as by means of a screwdriver. It is not driven to place and can be inserted through theopening of socket 18 to the exact degree necessary to and 'movement ofthe causing the thread to move properly locate its helical passage, Thisfirm mounting of the eye-piece by means of one end only, serves'anotherpurpose in that the other end of the eye-piece may be completelysurrounded by an annular space as clearly shown in the drawings.supported; end of the eye-piece is formed with a, longitudinal passage,the bore of which is tubular and formed with at least one completehelical assage 22 so that the This lin 1 wall of the eye-piece orms a.complete spiral barrier to the escape of the thread. If the helicalpassage comprised less than at least one. complete turn, the threadwould be liable to escape from the longitudinal passage at the end ofthe throw of the shuttle beyond the selvage of the cloth; that is, whenthe shuttle-stops and returns, the

thread is slackened and is liable to escape from the eye-piece, if acomplete barrier to its escape is not presented. Then of course if theouter wall of the eye-piece were in contact at any point with the innerwall of the opening, the thread would be liable to become caughtand tobreak if it starts to escape from the eye-piece. Hence, according to minvention, the cylindrical opening 20 is su ciently larger than theexternal diameter of the eye-piece to form a complete annular space.This of-course is necessary when the spiral or helix includes at leastone complete turn because the thread must be carried around the outerside of the eyepiece in finding its way through the helical passage tothe inside of the eye-piece.

The operation of threading the shuttle is as follows :The operator'first takes the leading end of the thread into the passage 31,

the thread passingunder the ortion of the" edge of the threading platewhich forms a part of said passa e, andenterin the chamber 19, the inners 0t 33, and gui e 34. The leading end of the thread is continuedthrough the passage 32 and the outer slot 35, until the leading end isintrothread now occupies the position shown in Fig. 9, the bend of thethread having been guided by the curved portion of the post 23; to theperiphery of the eye piece at the inner end of the helical passage 22,so that the outer stretch of the thread extends along the exterior ofthe eye-piece. The operator ,duced into the cavity extension 20.

now impartsa circular lateral movement to I the outer stretch of thethread in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 9, thus inwardlythrough the helical passage 22, the inward movement of thethreadcommencing at the base of the post 23, and progressing along thepassage 22 until the outer stretch is within the longitudinal assage'21, as shown in Fig. 8. The thread is thus engaged with the eye-piece.in such manner that it cannot escape therefrom in a lateral direction.The.

friction developed by the abrupt turn of the thread where it bears onthe post 23 imparts tensionto the thread. The curved form of the post23. is such that the thread,

when it first passes under the threading plate and-bears against theouter portion of the curved post, is guided by the curvature of the postto the position shown in Fi 9.

It should be noted that the exterior o the eye piece has no projectionwhich obstructs the space surrounding the eye-piehe. In other words, theexterior of theeyepiece is formed to permit the unobstructed passage ofa stretchof thread around it in the operatioir iiffpassing the threadthrough the eye-piece as described.

In Fig. 10,Ishow a modified construction of the eye-piece in which thepiece is made from a length of wire helically coiled, the convolutionssurrounding a longitudinal thread passage which is the equivalent of.

the passage 2l,'while the helical space, between th is shown as forminga shank 37 which is embedded-inthe shuttle body The; postY v nnay bepassedbetween two convolutions of the helical wire.

I claimz' 1 ,1. A shuttle eye-piece having one end externallyscrewthreaded and provided at its other'end with-a longitudinal threadpas-' sage the wall of said passage be tubular and formed with acomplete hellca passage whereby the material of the eye-piece forms acompletaspiral barrier to the escape offthe' "thread from thelongfiudinal passage. i

2'. A; shuttle having an eye' plece aflixed a its inner portion to theshuttle body, its outer portion being surrounded by an unobstructedspace and provided with a longitudinal thread passage, and with ahelical e convolutions constitutes an equivalent of the helicalpassage;22. One end of the wire, ,from which the eye-piece is made,-

eating with the longitudinal passage, and

means for guiding a thread from the shuttle spindle to said space, saidmeans including 'a-po st projecting from the eye-piece at the innerportion .of the helical passage.

I 3. A shuttle having an eye-piece aflixedat its inner poriton to theshuttle body, its

outerportion being surrounded by an unobstructed space and gitudinalthread passage, and with a helical provided with. a lonthread passagesurrounding and communieating with the longitudlnal passage, a postprojecting from the eye-piece at the inner portion of the helicalpassage, a threading plate supported by the post, portions of said plateforming walls of thread-guiding passages, the shuttle body havingcomplemental walls completing said passages, and inner and/outer slotscommun cating with said passages, the inner slot guidingthe thread Ifrom the spindle to the post, while the outer slot -guides the threadfrom the threading .plate to the space surrounding the eye-piece. l Ashuttle having its bodyformed with In testimony whereof I have affixed"my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY A. TITUS.

Witnessesz.

OsoAR LAPHAM, Joan: E. Tonm.

